


Detectives and Dragons

by purelycoincidentalcats



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, M/M, Most of the names in characters are really brief cameos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-18 00:47:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5891638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purelycoincidentalcats/pseuds/purelycoincidentalcats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The recent up-rise in activity from the RT Crew in the city meant he was working a lot of overtime right now, especially seeing as he was one of the lead detectives on the Dragonface case. Still, he didn't want to be thinking about work right now, he wanted... More Redbull? Damn, that was for work. The stash in the bottom draw of his desk was mostly empty cans now... Alright. Redbull.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Detectives and Dragons

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a prompt for [cas-blue-eye](http://cas-blue-eye.tumblr.com/) over on Tumblr. They requested a star-crossed lovers Lunacross fic set in the GTA!verse with Detective Miles Luna and Kerry "Dragonface" Shawcross with a side of protective Burnie. They've also been wonderfully patient in waiting for this, so, thank you for the prompt! Hope you like it!
> 
> I am sorry for the terrible title!

Miles quirked his mouth as he looked down at his shopping list. Today was his day off, and it may be the only chance he had to make sure he actually had some decent food in his house when he got home from work late this week. The recent up-rise in activity from the RT Crew in the city meant he was working a lot of overtime right now, especially seeing as he was one of the lead detectives on the Dragonface case. Still, he didn't want to be thinking about work right now, he wanted... More Redbull? Damn, that was for work. The stash in the bottom draw of his desk was mostly empty cans now... Alright. Redbull.

Miles made his way to the aisle he needed, seeing the Redbull on a low shelf. He was so focused on his goal, he didn't see someone else aiming for the same thing. They both bent forward at the same time, with a result that was like something out of a cartoon. Miles cried out in surprise and pain, and the other man yelped sharply as their heads accidentally collided. Miles jerked back, hand clutched to the side of his head, looking over at the shorter blond man who was doing the same, looking up at Miles with a wince.

"Ow, man. Sorry-!"

"Hey, sorry, I-!"

They both faltered as they talked over each other in their rush to apologise, the man across from Miles giving a nervous little giggle and Miles swallowed hard. Now that he was actually looking, this kid was pretty cute. He was shorter than Miles by almost a head height, a little chubby, with shaggy blond hair and a nervous smile. Miles smiled a little back, finally managing a proper apology.

"Sorry, dude. I was in my own little world. You go." Miles gestured at the Redbull, and the blond boy nodded, ducking down to grab a 4 pack before gesturing for Miles to do the same. Miles grabbed two to put in his basket with the rest of his meager shop, because who knew how many late nights were ahead of him, before looking back over at the boy as they both stood there for a moment in awkward silence. Finally, the blond boy gave a little nod, offering up a soft,

"Sorry, again, and... Uh, thanks? Bye."

"Oh, yeah. Bye." Miles gave a half wave as the other man turned and walked away from him, Miles turning away and grimacing to himself. Real smooth, Luna, real fucking smooth. Miles huffed a sigh, looking down at his list. Well, that was everything on his list at least, though knocking heads with a cute boy before making shit real awkward was not on any list for today... Ugh. He'd pay for his stuff and head home, get in some rest before he was back at work again tomorrow.

 

Miles stumbled his way into the office with his arms full already, giving a slightly harassed smile at his partner sat at the desk across from his before dumping the boxes he'd been unceremoniously given by his boss on his arrival. Miles had been at work for less than 10 minutes and he'd already been lumped with this? He didn't even know what was in these boxes. He looked over at the other detective, hoping he'd shed some light on the situation, pointing at the two boxes and wondering, "What the hell is all this, man?"

"Proof you're not allowed a day off any more." Kyle replied with an easy smirk. Kyle had been Miles' partner for a couple of years now, and he was also a good friend. He and Miles got along well, they had an easy banter which often consisted of one being a jerk towards the other. Miles made fun of Kyle's over confident, ladies man persona and the fact he would take his shirt off at any given opportunity, while Kyle would always retort that it was just because Miles wasn't getting any, which was true enough it usually shut Miles up, though he never took it to heart. Kyle shook his head as he looked down at the pile of paperwork in front of him before nodding at the boxes. "You're out for a day and Dragonface and his little gang hit again. That's all that patrol could gather up last night after the break in. It was at that massive jewellery store down by that really good Mexican place, you know? Apparently they got themselves a huge haul yet again."

"Damnit, they're getting as bad as the Fake AH guys over in Los Santos." Miles sighed, sliding into his seat and starting to go through the box, pulling out witness statements, crime scene photos and the other info he needed. Dragonface was the leader of one of the smaller factions from the much bigger RT Crew. The RT Crew was their city's major face in crime, pretty much any organised crime that happened here was somehow linked to them. They were supposedly how the infamous Fake AH Crew had gotten their beginnings. They'd always been a big problem in the city, but just recently Dragonface in particular had been a real thorn in Miles' side. It seemed he had managed to climb up a few ranks recently, and since then he was proving quite annoyingly prolific, which was definitely adding to Miles' work load of late. Miles looked through the files now spread all over his desk and was about ready to lay his head in his hands. Was it honestly too much to ask for to come back to work and not get slammed with all this? Did those guys not take days off?

Miles let out a sigh, shaking himself. It didn't matter. Miles would do his job. He'd get Dragonface eventually, but the trouble was that no one even knew who he was! He wore a black and blue stylised Dragon mask and a hoodie most of the time, covering his face and hiding the build of his body, both obvious markers needed to help identify suspects. It made Miles' task of finding and capturing Dragonface all the harder. More than that, they had no idea where they were basing their operations either, so they didn't even know where to look if they did find something to help them narrow down suspects. To help on that front, the Captain had put out patrols to keep their eyes on lesser members of the gang, following their movements and the like... They had been on it for weeks... Miles couldn't be upset, they were doing their jobs just fine, but they were yet to pull anything concrete. It was increasingly frustrating just how well the gang was up covering their tracks. Still, maybe something they pulled on this jewellery store robbery would get him that little bit closer to his goal... Maybe.

He just hoped the two packs of Redbull he bought yesterday would be enough to get him through the week...

 

The Redbull was not enough. As per usual the Dragonface gang had left nothing behind that could link any individuals to the crime. Miles had been late out of work every day this week so far, downing energy drink to keep his mind alert enough to focus, to make sure he didn't miss a single thing. Kyle had been helping as well, of course he had, but Miles was the lead on this. He wanted to do it, he wanted to be the one to get Dragonface, really he did.

So... He needed more Redbull. It was the only logical thing.

Standing in his local supermarket, with his 3 packs of Redbull and a couple of microwave meals in his basket, he realised both how sad he looked and also how disappointed he was that the blond boy he'd bumped into days ago wasn't here. That made him seem even sadder! Who hoped to pick someone up in the supermarket? Was that was he was hoping to do, anyway? Did he wanna ask the cute guy out, or was he just a wuss hoping for another glimpse... God, either way it sounded sad. Miles needed to get out more...

Despondent either way, he was making his way to the check out when he heard a soft voice behind him, "You needed to restock too, huh?"

Miles startled, turning to find the blond boy from days ago standing there by the energy drinks, smiling at him shyly. Miles suddenly hurried to straighten his posture, smiling widely back at the other man, pushing his glasses up his nose out of habit. He gave a shrug, attempting maybe a little too hard to seem casual. "Yeah, work's been rough this week. It's the only thing getting me through, really."

The blond man actually looked interested at that, his smile becoming a little more genuine. "Oh, yeah? Where do you work?"

Miles immediately faltered, hesitating on what to answer with. This question had been his downfall before when he was trying to pick up... Or even trying to make friends. Most people backed right off when he said he was a cop, he didn't want that to happen here. He didn't want to scare the blond away right off the bat. Miles swallowed, wracking his brain for something good before he finally answered, "I'm a paramedic, work in an ambulance..."

"Oh, wow! That's pretty cool!" The blond actually seemed to mean it when he said that and it made Miles actually feel guilty for lying. Maybe he wouldn't have minded if Miles had said he was a cop? Though it was too late for that now, surely? Miles was startled from his thoughts by the other man taking a step closer suddenly and holding out his hand, looking a little uncertain again as he met Miles' gaze. "My name's Kerry, by the way. I figure if we're going to keep bumping into each other due to our Redbull addictions, we can at least be on a first name basis?"

Miles grinned, easily taking Kerry's hand and shaking it. "Miles."

"Miles, the paramedic." Kerry nodded back like he was pleased by the sound of that, smiling as they stepped back from each other. "So, do you... Live near here? 'Cause I know the nearest ambulance station is a few blocks over..."

Miles nodded, moving without thinking to follow as Kerry started walking away down the aisle, the pair finding themselves chatting as they finished their shopping, though Miles had little else to pick up for himself. It looked like Kerry was shopping for a few other people, however, it became clear as he filled his basket. Maybe he had housemates? Maybe he had a significant other? Miles hoped not... Though... Maybe Miles shouldn't be looking at what was in his basket and just be happy having a bit of a chat with someone who seemed nice. Damn, Miles really did need to spend less time in the office and start interacting with human beings other than Kyle who... Really, a lot of the time, didn't count as a normal human...

Still, Kerry was interesting, that was for sure. "So, yeah... I... I work security, but I'm a freelancer rather than working for some company. Means I'm kind of between jobs right now."

"Oh. That's too bad." Miles frowned, but Kerry shrugged with a little grin, not seeming at all bothered by it.

"Doesn't bother me. Gives me time to watch more anime."

"Oh, really?" Miles brightened, because while he was shy to admit it, he spent a lot of his time off watching various animes. Kerry pinked, but nodded, looking pleased that Miles hadn't immediately called him a nerd for it. He seemed a little shy to talk about it, even though it was clear he loved the subject, opening up more as Miles showed continued enthusiasm on the subject.

"Yeah, I've just started watching Akame ga Kill... Yeah."

Miles brightened, he knew that one. He hadn't watched it, but he knew about it. "Oh, man. I haven't watched that one! But I've heard it's pretty good."

Kerry nodded firmly, before he hesitated a bit, making a face. "It's... Intense, I'll tell you. But I don't want to spoil anything!"

Kerry talked animatedly about some of his favourite animes as they made their way up to the registers and while Miles eagerly responded, he was also beginning to dither on whether he should ask Kerry out sometime. He was liking the small blond more and more by the moment, and Kerry seemed like he might be feeling the same sort of connection, but, that said, Miles had always been bad at figuring out whether someone was legitimately flirting with him or just being nice. Still, at the very least he could ask Kerry to hang out, right? Watch some anime, have a couple of drinks even. Nothing gay about that... Just... A big, bad police officer too scared to ask a small, cute security guard out sometime. Damnit.

Watching Kerry loading his groceries onto the little conveyor belt, listening to him politely chatting to the lady cashier, Miles knew it was now or never. Maybe they would bump into each other again, buying Redbull, but he might not get another chance to actually chat with him. Miles cleared his throat, Kerry glancing over at him, watching him struggle to get out the words he so needed to say right now, "I, uh. I don't usually do this sort of thing, but-"

"Did you wanna come grab a drink with me sometime?" Kerry wondered suddenly, and Miles faltered in his stuttered question, blinking at the other man. Kerry gave a hopeful smile, and Miles realised he was expecting an answer more than just Miles gaping open mouthed at him. He cleared his throat again, feeling even more awkward now, and quickly nodded.

"Oh, yeah? Yeah. I'd like that."

Kerry visibly brightened, but then seemed to remember that he had to pay for his groceries, quickly doing so and trying to fight off a blush. The cashier just shook her head, though she seemed amused by the pair of them rather than bothered, and moved to start checking Miles out, scanning his groceries, but not bothering with the polite chit-chat as it was clear his attention was elsewhere, specifically on the blond boy standing at the end of the counter with his groceries, patiently waiting.

They waited until they were out of the shop, and away from the clearly trying to eavesdrop cashier, before they continued their conversation. They were both grinning like idiots standing their with their groceries, even as Kerry muttered softly,

"Sorry, dude. I'm not usually so... Forward."

"It's fine. I'm glad one of us was brave enough to ask." Miles promised, moving his bags to one hand so he could pull out his phone as he looked over at Kerry. "If... If you give me your number, I can text you when I have a night off, see if you're free?"

"Yeah, absolutely." Kerry agreed easily. He took Miles' phone, moving to type his details in, though he didn't hand it straight back to the brunet after he was done, looking at the other man with his eyes playfully narrowed. He shook the phone slightly. "Now, you've got to promise you'll text me, alright?"

"I promise, scouts honor." Miles said, and while he couldn't put the hand over his heart he raised the other in the air. Kerry chuckled at that, finally handing Miles' phone back, and Miles quickly glanced at it to see the other man had indeed put his number in. Miles made a promise to himself that he'd wait until he got home before texting Kerry, however, he didn't want to seem too desperate. He gave a little nod, tucking his phone back into his pocket and swapping hands with his groceries again. "Well, I... I should get home before the frozen stuff melts, but... I'll text you later."

"Cool. I'm free pretty much this whole weekend, just so you know." Kerry's smile was a little cheeky now, and Miles felt his cheeks pink, nodding to show he understood before the blond man gave a little wave and walked away, leaving Miles standing a little dumb just outside the supermarket. Miles finally came back to himself with a wide grin, walking back to his car with an almost ridiculous skip in his step.

Well, that had gone much better than expected...

 

"Trust you to manage to pick up someone while buying Redbull!" Barbara scoffed with a wide smile, playfully pushing Kerry who obviously flushed, though he could hardly keep the grin off his face. He shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, taking a drink from one of said cans of energy drink. Jon glanced over at the pair of them from where he was lounged in one of the armchairs, his eyebrows raised as he wondered,

"Who'd Kerry pick up?"

"I didn't even!" Kerry protested shyly, twisting to look at Jon and seeing the knowing smile on the older man's face. Kerry's face scrunched like it did whenever he was embarrassed, even though his friends were just teasing him. "We were just chatting about stuff. I gave him my number and asked him out for a drink. I don't even know if he's... Y'know?"

Barb scoffed again, rolling her eyes for added dramatic effect. "Oh, c'mon, Kerry. It totally sounds like he was trying to flirt with you. I bet he'd never even heard of that anime you mentioned. He just wanted to seem _interested_."

"Who's interested in Kerry?"

The three people sitting in the lounge room tensed, twisting to look at their leader where he stood in the doorway with a little frown on his features. If Kerry was pink before his cheeks were now a dark red as he sunk down to appear smaller, and Barb got up from the couch, looking flustered, even as Jon pointedly returned to the book he was reading. Barb gave a little shrug, looking to Kerry who was looking more than a little desperate. Kerry shook his head, but a soft, pointed clearing of the older man's throat made Barbara spill the supposed secret.

"It's nothing, Burnie. Kerry just... Met some guy at the super market. They were chatting, flirting. Kerry gave him his number. No big deal." Barb babbled, stepping back from the couch and looking worriedly at Kerry. The young man known as Dragonface just hid his face in his hands with a soft whine, because he knew what was coming now. Sure enough, Burnie made his way into the room, rounding the couch so he could look down at Kerry. Kerry didn't look up at him, not needing to see him standing there with his arms folded.

" _Some guy_ , hey, Kerry? Does he have a name?"

"M-miles." Kerry mumbled, looking up at Burnie with wide eyes, seeing Burnie's eyes fixed on him from behind his glasses. He didn't look angry, but there was that hard line to his mouth that said Kerry was in for it anyway. Kerry made a despairing noise, curling into himself where he sat, both hands curled around the Redbull can he still held. He was in trouble, and he knew it. He didn't want to hear it. "Please, don't say it. I know, Burnie. I know it's not safe to just go handing out my phone number. Not when we've been so busy lately. I just... I... I really... I'm sorry. If it helps, he hasn't even texted me."

Burnie sighed, moving to crouch before the youngest member of their crew. He'd been making a hell of a name for himself, as Dragonface, of late. He was a valuable member of their team for sure, but to Burnie it was more than that. Burnie felt sort of like a father to Kerry, like he needed to protect him. So, yes, he was concerned, not for the sake of their crew, but for the sake of Kerry's heart. He smiled a little, trying to ease the young man's obvious concern. He hadn't meant to look so stern.

"Kerry, it's not even that. I know you're always careful for the sake of the crew, so I understand. I understand how interested in him you must be. I just want to make sure you're looking after yourself, don't worry about the crew."

"Myself?" Kerry frowned, looking troubled by that.

"Well, you have to think that you don't even know who this Miles is-"

"I do, he's a paramedic! And... And he likes Redbull?" Kerry realised how weak that sounded even to his own ears, his shoulders slumping in defeat. Burnie gave him a considering look.

"Does Miles have a last name? I could do some checks..." Burnie offered, meaning to be helpful in the only way he really knew how but Kerry spluttered in response to the suggestion, suddenly looking indignant rather than upset. Kerry shook his head, finally uncurling himself so he could face Burnie properly.

"Burnie! I don't need you to run checks on someone I met at the super market! He's a nice guy! He likes video games and anime and... And I don't even know why I'm having this talk with you!" Kerry grabbed out his phone, looking sadly down at it before holding it up to show his boss. "I told you! He hasn't even texted me-"

Kerry's sentence was cut off by the sound of his phone beeping to say it had received a text, and he snatched it back to himself with a gasp. Looking at the screen, the text was from a number he didn't have in his phone and his heart soared with excitement, practically forgetting that he was just getting upset at Burnie moments before. Kerry got to his feet, their leader following suit and he looked up at Burnie with his best puppy dog eyes.

"Please, I'll look after myself. We're just going to go for a drink. I can even go to one of our clubs if that helps?" Kerry promised, just wanting his bosses' okay, wanting to get away from him and the others so he could reply to Miles' text. He really liked Miles, well... He liked how Miles looked, his big, charming smile, his warm brown eyes and he liked that he liked anime, too. He wanted to get to know Miles so he could like him properly. "Burnie?"

Burnie could see there was no fighting this, getting too protective would just make Kerry more determined to do what he wanted. He sighed in defeat, finally conceding with, "Just you be careful. Do go to one of our clubs, so someone who knows you can help if alcohol turns him into an octopus or something."

That was met with a quick comment off to the side of them, "Think the whole point is that Kerry's looking for a bit of a grope."

Kerry shot Jon a dark look, seeing his little unapologetic grin in return before he looked to Burnie again. "I promise. I'll be careful. Burnie..."

"Alright, go. But if it gets serious, I want to meet him." Burnie said, his smile showing it was all meant in good grace, and Kerry practically beamed back at him. He just looked so pleased, Burnie knew he really had to like this guy, and that actually made him all the more concerned about it. You could never be too careful when it came to this sort of thing, and he really wished Kerry would let him run some background checks to be sure. Still, he had a little bit of information to work with, a name, a location and if he got to Kerry's phone he could get this Miles' phone number as well. It would be enough, he could get Jon to do a bit of digging and see if they came up with anything. Still, Kerry obviously wouldn't listen to Burnie's concerns anymore than he had to, and Burnie could do no more than watch as Kerry darted out of the room with his eyes already glued to his phone.

 

Miles paced nervously, he'd finally sent Kerry the text, so now he was just waiting on a reply. Surely he'd reply. He was the one that had made Miles promise to text him, after all. Miles had waited a little while, he had made himself wait. Though most of the wait had been spent staring at his phone and considering just sending it now... Just now... Now. He'd finally given in, sent Kerry just a short text. Said who it was, because Kerry didn't have his number, and just asked if he was free Friday night. Nice and casual. Friday would be go, because Miles was allowed to finish early on Friday regardless of work, so if Kerry could go out with him then it would be just perfect. It would also mean he'd actually leave work early, rather than getting sucked into more overtime, which he was sure the higher ups were entirely sick of paying him.

Miles glanced back at his phone, even though it hadn't gone off, before sinking down on the couch with a sigh. What was he doing? He hadn't been this nervous about asking someone out since he was a teenager. Admittedly, he hadn't asked many people out back then. Or since then, for that matter. But, Kerry just... There was something about him. His little smile, his slightly awkward air, it was like he just... Fit with Miles. Miles liked that. It was nice to have such an easy rapport with someone, and it seemed like they'd have stuff in common on top of that. It also definitely helped that he was cute. Very cute.

Miles nearly leapt out of his seat when his message tone rang out, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself, but he was unable to keep down the excited grin that crept onto his face as he picked up his phone and saw Kerry's name on the screen. Swiping up, his eyes scanned the message, his grin only getting bigger to read,

_Yes, I am free. And I'd love to go for a drink._

Miles chuckled softly, tapping back. _I didn't ask you for a drink._

_I figured that would be what came next, though._

Miles liked Kerry, he liked the banter that came so naturally. He was clearly so worked up for nothing. Humming, Miles typed out. _Alright, you've got me. Is there somewhere you'd like to go?_

 _Yeah, I know a place. Meet me there? 8, maybe? >_ Kerry then texted the address and Miles quickly texted back his confirmation before resting back against the couch with a pleased little grin. He had a date... Well, he didn't know if it was a date. But he'd like to think of it as such. Now he just had to make it through until Friday. That thought made his smile slip a bit, because he knew that he'd be busy at work and now he felt a little bit guilty about being so easily distracted.

Here he was trying to hook up with a cute guy, and he still hadn't found out who Dragonface was or gotten any closer to dealing with his gang... 

No. No, he was gonna be happy about seeing Kerry on Friday, he couldn't keep bringing work home all the time. He needed time off, and he'd finally found a reason to have some. A date with a cute blond was reason enough in anyone's books, he was sure. Good. He would work at work, hoping that something would cause a break through in his case, but when he got home, he'd play some video games, watch some anime and wait for Friday.

... What was he even going to wear?

 

Friday night came surprisingly quickly. Dragonface's gang had been quiet during the week and so Miles didn't have much to do beyond combing through the old case files. Dull, but he'd had the date with Kerry to look forward to and keep him going. 

Miles settled on a nice t-shirt, a blazer and jeans. He thought he looked smart without being overdressed. He hoped Kerry thought so too. Miles wasn't sure where Kerry was asking him to go, it had been so very long since he'd been out drinking he didn't really know any of the trendy places to go any more, if he ever knew to begin with, but the longer he looked at the address the more he'd thought there was something familiar about it. Still, he wasn't sure why, so he didn't think too hard on it, focused instead on diligently following the directions on his phone only to freeze when he stood outside the establishment. Miles bristled when he realised just where Kerry had invited him too, staring up at the bright neon sign out the front. That was why the address had been so familiar... This club belonged to the infamous Burnie Burns, leader of the RT crew. Shit. Shit, that was not a place he wanted to be. 

He was distracted by a soft voice calling out his name, and looked over to see Kerry walking towards him with a wide smile. He was dressed in a button down shirt and jeans, so Miles didn't feel too over dressed, just frazzled by the fact they were going to a club owned by Burnie Burns... Still, Kerry didn't seemed bothered, not in the slightest, and Miles wondered if maybe he didn't know about the gang connections the place had. He smiled up at Miles as he reached him, seeming a little shy as he wondered,

"Everything okay...?"

Miles realised he must have been making a face, which he really shouldn't be doing. He just had to remind himself that this was fine, it was okay to be here. He was off the clock, there was not going to be any issues for him to go inside the club. He was just grabbing a couple of drinks with Kerry. It was fine, he just had to remember that. He smiled back at the smaller man, not wanting to concern him, giving Kerry a gentle nudge, meaning to be playful as he nodded.

"Yeah, no. It's fine. I've just never been here before." He admitted, and that wasn't a lie. Not at all. Kerry looked surprised by that, however, looking up at the neon sign so his face was illuminated by its colourful glow.

"Really? It's a great place." Kerry promised, and Miles nodded at his side. He'd take Kerry at his word, of course he would. Miles gave a gesture towards the door, and Kerry visibly brightened, smiling widely at Miles before moving to lead the way into the bar.

 

It was a nice place, sure, but they had barely made it through the door when someone pat Kerry on the shoulder with a bright greeting, Kerry smiling wide and greeting them in return. It only got worse as they tried to walk through towards the bar. They barely made it a few steps before someone else wanted to pull Kerry aside, leaving Miles standing awkwardly behind him as Kerry smiled and greeted practically everyone. Miles was astounded by the fact so many people wanted to greet Kerry as they passed. It was like everyone here knew him, men, women, most of the patrons of the bar it felt like and Kerry seemed to know each and every one of them in turn, personally, not just in passing. 

They had almost reached the bar when Kerry was stopped by another person. He was a tall man, older than them both it seemed, who smiled easily at the sight of Kerry, putting a friendly arm around his shoulders. a casual, openly affectionate gesture that Miles wasn't expecting seeing as most of the others did little more than clap Kerry on the shoulder or shake his hand. One girl kissed him on the cheek, but that was the most of it. This guy was clearly better friends with Kerry than some of the others here, it was especially obvious in the way Kerry smiled up at the other man in turn, clearly comfortable in his hold.

"Kerry! Been a long time since we've seen you here. You've been too busy to visit, I suppose?" He stated, though he clearly wasn't expecting an answer as his eyes cut over to Miles, the bearded man startling slightly at having someone suddenly pay him attention. He'd been invisible to everyone else. The man's eyes swept over him appraisingly, a little smile curling his lips as they returned to Miles' stunned face. "And who is this?"

"Oh. Oh! This is Miles! I... He's... My date for this evening." Kerry muttered, seeming a little shy to say that out loud, looking over towards Miles like he was making sure what he said was okay. He seemed to relax when Miles gave a little grin in response, before the brunet reached out to take the tall man's hand as it was offered to him, receiving a firm handshake in response. Kerry smiled from Miles to the man who's arm was still around his shoulders. "Miles, this is Gray."

"Nice to meet you, Gray." Miles greeted warmly, though he couldn't keep the colour from creeping into his cheeks at the knowing look in the older man's eyes as he looked Miles over again. He gave a little nod to Miles before he released Kerry, patting him lightly on the back with a fond smile down at the small blond. 

"Pleasure. I should leave you two to it. It's good to see you, Kerry."

"You too." Kerry agreed, before his attention turned back to Miles, his date, as Gray walked away with one last little look that left Miles flushed. Alone again, Kerry shuffled up to Miles so they were standing close enough he wouldn't have to shout over the music. A little frown flickered over his features and his lip caught between his teeth for a moment before he muttered, "I am so sorry, Miles... I... I didn't expect everyone would want to chat. This hasn't been fair on you. I should have taken us somewhere else."

"No, no way. Means you're a regular here, right? Means I can trust it when you tell me it's a good place." Miles said with an easy smile, because he wasn't upset. Surprised, sure, but not upset. It was hardly Kerry's fault, besides seeing Kerry being all bubbly and friendly, it was cute. Kerry was cute. Miles was just as smitten as ever, it seemed. Kerry brightened again to know he hadn't managed to ruin anything, grabbing Miles' arm and moving to pull Miles over to the bar, smiling up at him and wondering,

"What would you like? First drinks on me seeing as it took us so long to get to the bar."

Miles laughed, but he wouldn't argue with that. He'd just buy next round. "Sounds fine to me."

 

So, they'd had a couple of drinks already, and things were going well. They'd settled themselves at a table in the corner for some privacy, the music pulsing around them just loud enough to cover most of the chatter from the other patrons. If they sat close together, though, they could hear each other just fine. Except that being close together could be a problem seeing as Miles was a touchy, feely drunk. He was doing pretty well keeping himself in check thus far, he was only comfortably tipsy after all, but he still found himself leaning into Kerry's space, because this was really a date after all. And he was pretty damn pleased about that. He was also pretty pleased about the fact Kerry seemed to be leaning back into him in turn, laughing loudly at Miles' poor jokes, talking animatedly with that sweet smile on his face the whole time.

They chatted about anime and video games. Miles was so pleased to find that Kerry was just as big a nerd as him, and he was so cute when he got excited or intense about something. Miles was so happy, he was probably grinning like a total idiot. He was distracted from their conversation by someone waving at Kerry as they went past and Miles was reminded of when they first got here. He leant into Kerry's space again and wondered,

"So... You spend a lot of time here, yeah?"

"Oh, yeah. It's not how you think, though. I just... I'm kinda friends with the guy who owns the place." Kerry mumbled with a shrug, and Miles' stomach dropped. Kerry knew Burnie Burns? The biggest, baddest mobster, for all intents and purposes, in the city? Sweet little Kerry with his chubby cheeks, and his gorgeous smile, and his dorky little laugh... No. Shit. Miles' face must have fallen as fast as his stomach, because Kerry was suddenly frowning at him. "Miles? Is something up?"

Oh, Miles, way to be subtle. He looked at Kerry, and thought about how this could possibly effect his work. If Kerry had connections to the RT crew... Things could get real tricky really fast. Did Miles really care, though? Maybe Kerry didn't even know what Burnie was into? It's not like Burnie was a bad guy all the time, right? Maybe Kerry just knew him from something else. Sure. That could easily be a thing, right? Yeah, this was Kerry. Kerry worked security. If anything maybe he did some door work here and that's how he knew Burns, there was nothing wrong with that. Sure. It was fine. No need for Miles to panic about whether or not something that looked like it was going really well was about to turn to shit instead...

"Miles?" Kerry prompted again gently, looking legitimately concerned now. He'd leant away from Miles and was frowning up at him, seeming confused and a little hurt even. Miles shook himself, smiling at the other man in an attempt to soothe him. Keep it cool, Miles, don't scare him off by glaring into space. What you think you know is not his problem, and it was all probably fine anyway. No way was Kerry into Burns' gang stuff. He couldn't be.

"Sorry, I was just..." Miles looked Kerry over again and sighed. He was in trouble here, because no matter that Kerry knew Burnie Burns, Miles had fallen hard and fast and he was going to stick with this as long as he could. He needed to see where this went between them and as his eyes met Kerry's he gave a little smile. "Just thinking how cute you are." Kerry seemed startled by that, and Miles quickly waved away the comment with an embarrassed chuckle. "I'm sorry. I'm a bit drunk..."

"No. You really think so?" Kerry asked, maybe a little more forcefully than intended, but he needed an answer, looking up at Miles with wide eyes. Miles blinked at him in surprise.

"Uh. Yeah. Kinda why I wanted to ask you out, after all." He pointed out, only to frown. Kerry had told that Gray guy that Miles was his date, and it seemed to be going along like a date, but he suddenly wasn't sure if admitting that was taking it to far. He was overthinking again. "That's okay, right?"

Kerry flushed pink from more than just what they had been drinking, a shy smile curving his lips. Miles thought he was cute! He gave a little nod, looking down at his drink even as he agreed. "Yeah, its good... Because I think you're pretty cute too."

Miles snorted despite himself. No one had ever said that to him before. He quickly covered his embarrassment at being called cute with a playful mutter of, "We are really awkward people, huh?"

Kerry laughed at that, the tenseness that had filled him easily leaving again, leaning back against Miles' arm without really thinking about it. He looked up at him, brushing his messy fringe out of his face as he hummed. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Look, man. It has to be you. I'll have you know I am not usually this terrible at flirting." Miles stated, all a joke of course, and Kerry laughed again, smiling wide. Miles liked his smile so much. Kerry shook his head, taking another sip of his drink before replying with,

"Good to know, because I am this terrible at flirting..."

Miles laughed, loud, and Kerry looked so pleased that Miles thought he was funny. He was all pink and smiling and... Miles couldn't help himself, with the alcohol in his system, he simply lacked the will power. He could tell himself that later, anyway. He leant over, bridging the small distance still between them, to kiss Kerry gently on the lips. Kerry stiffened for a moment in surprise, but before Miles could pull away, Kerry was pushing up to meet him, kissing him back. Kerry was kissing him back! Miles brought up a hand to gently cup Kerry's cheek, keeping him close as he pressed forward with a little dart of his tongue in an attempt to deepen the kiss. Kerry opened to him briefly, before shifting to go back to a gentler open-mouthed kiss. They did it again, a quick dart of tongue, quickly deepening, never for long, testing the water almost, before calming again, kissing slow. It was nice, it was really nice...

Miles pulled back from the kiss after a long moment of indulgence, going a little red when he realised what he had just done. He hadn't even asked, he'd just leant in, and while Kerry had responded, surely that was a bit much a bit fast? He shrugged his shoulders, smiling sheepishly. "S-sorry. That might have been a little forward for a first date."

"No." Kerry bit his lower lip, sucking on it slightly before looking up at Miles. He shifted, his hand brushing against Miles' where he had moved it to brace himself against the seat. "It was cool, really."

Miles wet his lips, grinning a little. Maybe it wasn't such a big deal? Kerry really did seem okay with the whole thing. He gently caught Kerry's hand in his own before tempting softly, "If it's... If it's cool, then maybe we could keep doing it?"

"Smooth." Kerry scoffed, but he tilted his chin up with a coy little smile, inviting another kiss from the taller man. Miles gave a gentle smile, his free hand coming back up to cup Kerry's face as he leant in for another kiss, humming against the blond's soft lips. This was good. This was a very good first date, and the night wasn't even over yet.

 

Another couple of drinks, and quite a bit of making out later, Kerry finally pulled back from Miles, shifting away a little so they were no longer touching and so he couldn't get sucked in to more sweet, slightly sloppy kisses. Because he would get sucked back in, he was very much enjoying kissing Miles. He was all pink in the face, and his hair was a little mussed from Miles' curious fingers. Miles shifted like he meant to move back in, wanting to go back to being close to Kerry, but Kerry put a hand on his arm to stop him.

"It's... It's getting late, maybe we should get outta here?" Kerry wondered with this shy air that instantly cut off Miles' disappointment at what he believed to be the end of their date. Kerry was looking at him with his bottom lip caught between his teeth and Miles quickly nodded. He hoped he was reading this right, because the look in Kerry's eyes had to mean something... God, he hoped it meant what he was thinking it did. Did that make him too eager? Maybe, but Miles couldn't stop himself from agreeing.

"Yeah... Yeah, sure. Let's go." Miles stood, with more grace than he thought he'd be capable of, and offered Kerry his hand. He may be slightly drunk, and he may have just been making out with the blond, but that was no reason to stop being a gentleman. Kerry took it with a little smile, and didn't let go once Miles had pulled him to his feet. He moved to take the lead, using his grip on Miles' hand to lead him out of the bar, giving little more than a vague wave to anyone who tried to say goodbye to him. His focus seemed to be entirely on Miles, and it made the brunet's stomach flutter with excitement.

Outside the club, the cool of the night air hit Miles like a punch in the face compared to the heat of all the bodies in the club. and he faltered, tugging Kerry to a stop with him. Kerry glanced back at him, an almost anxious expression on his features. "I... My place isn't far from here? If you wanted to... Come up?"

Miles' eyebrows shot up, but before Kerry could worry that he hadn't asked the right thing, the taller man's face broke into an enormous grin. "Yeah! Uh, yeah... I'd like that."

Kerry blushed but he looked very pleased, and it did absolutely nothing to dull Miles' fervour brought on by Kerry's shy invitation to go back to his place. And he'd thought kissing on a first date was forward. Not that he was complaining. No way was he complaining. He was more eager than he'd ever admit for the possibilities of this. He looked to Kerry, who's hand still held his own, and Kerry tilted his head up the street, the opposite direction from the one Miles had arrived from.

"It's just two blocks up..."

Miles grinned, his fingers squeezing gently around Kerry's hand as he nodded. "Lead the way."

 

Miles woke up slowly the next morning, his head surprisingly clear, not even hint of a pounding headache considering how much he'd had to drink the previous night. He shifted to stretch, only to become very aware of a warm, soft body curled against his own, aware of the naked skin pressed against his own. Oh, yeah! A big grin curled Miles' lips when he remembered just how... Climatically his date had ended the night before. 

Glancing down, Miles could only see the top of the blond head that rested against his chest, and the arm that draped over his waist. They must have stayed cuddled together most of the night, because he remembered curling up like this after they... Well. Yeah. Trying not to focus too hard on that thought, he lifted his head a little more so he could look down properly into Kerry's cherubic, sleeping face. He'd never fallen for someone so hard so fast before, it was a little scary to think about, but when Kerry's big, brown eyes blinked open, Miles couldn't help smiling warmly. He was smitten, and he didn't mind a single bit.

"Hey, you. Good morning." He murmured, leaning in and kissing Kerry's lips when the younger man pushed up to meet him. They kissed for a stretching moment, slow and warm unlike the hurried, passion fueled kissing from the night before. It was very welcome on a nice, slow morning like this. They parted and Miles took the opportunity to properly stretch now he was sure he wouldn't disturb his partner.

"Hey... What time is it?" Kerry wondered, still sounding a little drowsy as he settled back down, laying more of his bare body over Miles' own, and Miles couldn't resist stroking his hand down the younger man's sleep warm back. Kerry hummed happily at the attention, before Miles finally rolled away slightly to reach for his phone, meaning to check the time. Arm outstretched, he grabbed his phone where it rested on the side table, picking it up and turning on the screen only to find he had a number of missed calls from Kyle. He frowned before he looked at the time and shot upright so suddenly that he knocked Kerry to the side, the blond man giving a yelp.

"Miles!"

"Shit! I am so fucking late!" Miles cried, scrambling out of bed and hurrying to collect his clothes. His stupid phone must have been on silent still, so he didn't hear it ringing in his alcohol induced sleep! Damnit. And he forgot to set an alarm... Actually, his alarm clock was probably going off back at home, because he hadn't been expecting to spend the night in Kerry's bed... With Kerry... Miles stopped with his underwear half on, and looked over at the blond man where he lay in tangled sheets. Miles wet his lips, moving a little more slowly to get his underwear on properly, suddenly very aware of Kerry's eyes on him. "Hey, I'm sorry... I... I picked up this shift at the last minute, and completely didn't think last night. I guess I got a little distracted..."

Kerry gave a quiet laugh, stretching slightly where he lay, causing more of the sheet to fall away and like that wasn't very distracting. "Yeah, I guess we did... Sorry about that."

Miles huffed a laugh, giving a half smile, his eyes very obviously sweeping Kerry's bare form. His smile turned a little wicked. "You know... If I wasn't already late for work..."

That brought a flush to the younger man's cheeks, and he sat up at last, pulling the blanket up with him. Miles clicked his tongue in disappointment, but the little smile on Kerry's face and the look in his big brown eyes had Miles crossing the distance between himself and the bed, not even caring he only had one pant leg on as he leant in to kiss Kerry's lips. Kerry hummed as they parted.

"Looks like I'm distracting you again..." He mumbled with a little smile and Miles huffed, pulling away at last. He hopped slightly to get into his jeans, pulling them up and zipping them. He was kind of glad he could change into a uniform once he got to work, because his shirt was more than a little crumpled, and... He could only find one sock? Was this even his sock? It didn't matter. He'd change. And last night was well worth the crumpled clothes. He looked back at Kerry again once he was dressed, bar his shoes. He moved back over to lean on the edge of the bed, unable to help stealing another kiss, given very willingly. As they pulled back, Kerry was still a little pink in the face, he was so sweet. Kerry chewed a little on his lower lip. "Hey, I... I'll text you later?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that's fine... Text me while I'm at work, if you'd like." Miles offered, smiling, pleased that Kerry didn't seem bothered by his rushed departure. He wished more than anything that he could just crawl back in bed with him, but getting to text him during the day would do. "It'll make my day better."

Kerry brightened, nodding. "Alright."

"But I gotta go." Miles muttered, getting one last quick peck in before he hurried out the door, putting his shoes on as he hopped down the hallway. Well, that was not how he had expected things to go when he went out with Kerry last night, but he'd be lying if he said he was anything other than totally thrilled about it... Now he just had to get to work and hope he wasn't in a whole heap of trouble.

 

By some miracle, he managed to get himself a cab and traffic was good at this time of the morning so he actually got to work pretty fast. He called ahead to let them know he was late, blamed it on car trouble, which was perfectly feasible, his car was pretty ancient. He was sure they didn't believe him, regardless of him turning up in a cab, but something was better than nothing. He was quickly changed and on his way to the office when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out without thinking, only to grin when he saw Kerry's name there. He quickly swiped to open his phone and read the text, stopping short at the words on his screen.

_I don't usually put out on first dates. Just so you know._

Miles grinned to himself, imagining Kerry's little embarrassed, scrunched face as he typed that out. He quickly typed back as he continued walking, _Me neither. But I'm glad we did._

He waited for the reply, anxiously hoping that Kerry would say the same, that he didn't regret them sleeping together so soon. Miles hadn't thought about that last night, he'd been far too eager to think of any repercussions, but... Kerry had enjoyed himself, he was sure on that front and that hopefully meant- His phone buzzed and his stomach jumped, but it settled just as fast when he read, _Me too._

"What you smiling at? Someone send you good news?" Josh Ornelas, one of the other detectives at the station, asked as Miles walked past his desk on the way into the main area of the precinct. Josh was what you expected a cop to look like, even if you ignored the tattoos, he was broad shouldered and intimidating, not to mention fierce as hell when he wanted to be. Anyone who worked with him, though, knew he was actually a super nice guy and a total softy. Miles looked up at him with a little smile and was about to agree whole-heartedly when Kyle showed up at Josh's side with a wicked sort of grin that had Miles' own grin faltering. Kyle looked him over, before turning his attention to Josh, clapping him on the arm.

"No, man. That is not the smile of someone who got good news. That's the smile of someone who got good _nudes_."

Miles made an unimpressed face, shaking his head with a dismissive, "You are the worst, Kyle."

"Yeah, well, you're late. So I just hope it was for a good reason, like you finally getting some." Kyle retorted without missing a beat and Miles felt his cheeks heat guiltily, though his eyes remained defiant. Kyle was grinning triumphantly, Josh shaking his head where he stood at his side, arms folded over his strong chest. Before Miles could reply, however, they were interrupted by a shout from the other end of the room.

"Luna. Taylor. You best get in here."

Miles looked at Kyle with wide eyes, his partner and friend also looking a little concerned to be called into the Captain's office without warning. Miles quickly shoved his phone back in his pocket, taking a deep breath before he lead the way through to Captain Joel Heyman's office with Kyle on his heels, Josh watching them go with arched eyebrows. The Captain's office was always a more than a little chaotic, though Miles thankfully didn't find himself in here often, which could also explain why he was so freaking nervous...

Really, he was late... But... He didn't think it was enough for a call to the Captain's office, he was meaning to get right down to work when he got here anyway. He always did, and he was so rarely late. Glancing over at Kyle, that was the other thing he wondered about. It couldn't be about him if Kyle was here too. Suddenly, Miles had a headache. He hadn't thought to grab any painkillers, he hadn't had time. He was distracted from his over-thinking of the whole situation by Joel clearing his throat, drawing Miles attention to him where he stood importantly behind his desk. 

"Nice of you to join us, Luna." He said curtly, and Miles bowed his head contritely, but no more reprimand came, instead he turned back to business and what he'd originally called them in for. He stood straight behind his desk, looking at the two nervous young men before him, young men who were both very good at their jobs, though it was perhaps Miles who was that slightest bit more dedicated, always pushing himself above and beyond. "It is looking like we may have finally grasped a lead on the activities of Dragonface and his gang..."

Miles was suddenly alert, thoughts of Kerry, his headache or anything else pushed out of his head. He took a step towards the Captain's desk, so desperate to know what lead they might have found. He was so desperate to catch Dragonface, to be in anyway closer to doing so. Last night, he had managed to get comfortably distracted, but now, he was focused. Joel could see the change in him, looking him up and down as the young detective quickly wondered, "What's the lead, sir?"

"The patrols we've put out think they might finally have something solid." Joel informed them and Miles took in a sharp breath, waiting tensely for the Captain to continue. "We've been watching closely, and we think they might be moving the stolen goods using a number of the bars the crew frequents."

"They **think** , sir?" Kyle wondered, sounding decidedly dubious, and Joel cut him a sharp look, suggesting he didn't appreciate being questioned. Kyle quietened down immediately, suitably reprimanded and ready to let his Captain finish his explanations.

"We have seen a number of clubs receive more shipments of alcohol than they should given the traffic of patrons and the money declared every evening we've been watching, but not only that they often send back boxes when they receive new ones. This is... Obviously suspicious, and as such we're going to be investigate further. The higher ups have given us the go ahead, and even if it's not the jewellery, we may find they are smuggling other things. It would give us appropriate reason to arrest and interview people who may have better leads on Dragonface and his gang's whereabouts."

"Sounds promising, Captain." Miles replied with his usual eagerness, and perhaps a hint of cockiness. If Dragonface or his gang were smuggling their stuff through Burnie's clubs, Miles would have them for sure. He was not going to give up such a beautifully presented opportunity. Joel nodded at him to acknowledge his supportive response, looking at them both with a continued serious expression.

"We've narrowed our planned busts down to two clubs in the area where this seems to happen the most frequently, and we intend to hit each them just as their getting their next delivery of liquor. It will be as close to a simultaneous bust as we can manage, to prevent each club from alerting the other, and we intend to go in hard and fast. We'll search them thoroughly, and hopefully turn up something of use." Joel moved, sitting in his chair and filtering through some of the paper on his cluttered desk top. "As there will be two separate hits, and you two are the higher up detectives on the case, I want you to split up and lead different bust teams to each of the clubs. Hopefully your deeper knowledge of the case itself can be more helpful to our teams..."

Miles nodded hard. "Happy to lead a team, sir."

"Me too." Kyle agreed at his side and Joel nodded his satisfaction. He wouldn't have expected any less from the two young detectives, both of them had led busts before despite their young age, he knew he could trust them. He moved a few more papers aside before finding the ones outlining their plan of attack, as it were, and handing them over to the two young men before him.

"We're intending on hitting both clubs today. It's short notice, but it meets up with their unusual delivery schedules and we wanted to get in quickly before they had a chance to move all of the goods taken from their last heist so we put a rush job on all the approvals to get everything sorted and make sure it's legal." Joel paused, looking from Miles' eager face, to Kyle's more subdued expression and back again. "I assume that will be alright with you both?"

"Yes, sir." Both replied easily, and Joel nodded, his attention returning to the paperwork on his desk. Miles glanced at Kyle, both of them knowing that meant they were dismissed, but Miles had to ask.

"Which clubs are our targets, sir?"

Joel looked up at him with a little frown, and he gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, rattling off the two names. The first one was fine, Miles knew of it, it was on the other side of town, and he knew it belonged to Burns, but the second name Joel said made Miles' stomach drop. That was where he and Kerry had gone on a date last night. He knew he had a bad feeling when he'd got there and seen that name, but the people there had seemed nice, he'd had a good time and now he might be made to raid the place? Maybe he could swap it with Kyle and do the other place... He... He realised he must have been making a face when he came back to himself and found Joel frowning at him.

"Is there a problem?"

"N-no, sir. Did you have a preference for which of us is on which club? So... So I know what to prep for." Miles hated the way his voice wavered, the way he felt suddenly so out of whack. He had been so eager moments before, the hope of finally having a lead on Dragonface... Joel looked at him, frowning slightly as he tried to figure out just what was going on in the young Detective's mind.  
Eventually, he shook his head.

"I want you on the bigger of the two clubs, as you're lead on the case. But this is all in your hand outs, Luna. I suggest you get reading."

That was a very firm dismissal that time and Miles didn't need telling twice, turning and hurrying out of the office with Kyle on his tail. The "bigger of the two" clubs was the one he was with Kerry at last night, and if they wanted him there as lead, there'd be no swapping with Kyle. He was concerned that someone who had seen him there the night before might recognise him, tell Kerry, or maybe they'd shun Kerry, think Miles had been casing the place? He didn't want this to get back to the other man either way, that felt like it wouldn't end well. Damnit. Miles' head was buzzing so much it took a moment for him to register that Kyle was talking to him.

"Shit, this afternoon?" Kyle muttered as they walked towards their own little space at the back of the main office. Kyle glanced at Miles, who shrugged in return, stilll feeling more than a little unsettled though he didn't want to let on so. Kyle huffed, stopping to lean on the edge of his desk as he eyed Miles off. "We'd have more time to prep if you weren't late, you dick!"

Miles made a soft noise in protest, his cheeks heating despite himself. "I'm sorry, alright, I... I didn't mean to be late, I forgot to set an alarm, alright?" Crap. That was the wrong excuse, he realised when he saw Kyle's eyebrows arch in surprise. "T-then the thing with my car. I had to cab it in!"

Kyle snorted, though that little smirk of his was back on his face as he conceded, "Yeah, alright. Whatever you say, Miles. Will you finally tell me it's because you got laid last night?"

Miles opened his mouth like he was going to tell Kyle it was none of his damn business, but his shoulders slumped with a defeated sigh. There wasn't going to be any avoiding it, not with Kyle. Not now that he'd slipped up. Still, he couldn't help the way a little smile creep onto his face. "Yeah, okay? I did. Just don't tell anyone-"

"Holy shit, I knew it! You sly son-of-a-bitch. About damn time!" Kyle was on his feet again, his face split into a wide grin and Miles couldn't keep himself from blushing now. Goddamnit, he shouldn't have said anything, but... At the same time, he wanted to tell everyone about Kerry. He really was in trouble, and not for the reasons he'd been thinking about before. Miles distracted from his embarrassment by reaching over and giving his partner a shove, making Kyle stumble with a laugh. Miles shook himself in turn, wanting himself to focus. It didn't matter which club was assigned to him, he would do his job, in the chaos it was doubtful anyone would recognise him. They would get Dragonface this time.

"Look, we don't have time, right? We have to get this sorted. We can't let Dragonface get away again."

 

Miles hadn't done a raid in a really long time. It was not a thing that happened often, despite what TV might suggest. He felt bulky and encumbered with the bullet proof vest on, though he was less covered than the team at his back, they were all in their full riot gear. Made Miles feel more than a little exposed. He couldn't win, he already felt clunky and slow, but he also felt as exposed as a naked man in a gun fight. Sitting in the back of the truck, they made their way towards the clubs. He saw Kyle's van turn off, and had to swallow down his nervousness. Yes, he was going to the place Kerry had taken him the night before, and he was going to be professional about it. It wasn't like anyone there _would_ remember him, right? No one really paid him a lick of attention. And maybe he and Kerry just wouldn't go there again, they'd find somewhere to make their own little hang out and...

Shit, Miles had it bad. He'd shot Kerry a quick text before they set out, letting the blond know he'd be offline for a while, that things were about to get busy for him and god... Kerry had replied with _Stay safe and let me know when you're back in the real world, sugar <3_. Sugar? A fucking love heart? Goddamn. How was that playing fair?

Miles shook his head, he had to focus. He looked ahead, they were almost there. This could be it. This could be the defining moment of this whole case. He could do it. He supposed he should be doing some sort of pep-talk for the others, but they all seemed as much in their own little worlds as Miles was. That was more of a TV thing anyway, they all knew what they were doing. He guessed they were all thinking about what was coming. It was not often that they attempted any sort of hit in anything that belonged to Burns. He was usually too well prepared. The fact they'd figured this out had to be a huge slip up on his part. Maybe he was getting complacent? Thought he was untouchable and so was letting things slip...?

Miles didn't care either way, as long as this all went smooth. He didn't want to lose any men today. He just wanted to get his bust. He just wanted to get Dragonface.

 

They waited for their confirmation that the delivery truck had pulled in, that everything was good to go. If they moved to early, it could be for nothing. Miles prepared his team, splitting them into 2, a larger number of them would go around the back to the dock where they could divide to handle the truck and the storeroom, while Miles would lead a smaller team through the front, hopefully catching someone from the RT crew in their gathering of the staff and making sure no one slipped away. Orders given, Team Two split off down the side alley while Miles' smaller team made their way to the front, pausing by the door. It was weird to be doing this in the middle of the day, the street was relatively quiet, but they had to move quickly lest someone saw them and gave the game away. Miles unholstered his gun, because it was better to be safe than sorry, and gave a little nod to his off-sider, Tyler, who was braced to breech the front door. Bringing his radio up to his mouth, Miles called through,

"Team One in position."

A moment of silence, then, "Team Two ready to go... Truck's just starting to unload now. This could be it, there look like there are some boxes to be taken back."

"Lets not give them the chance. Go, go, go!"

Miles gave the signal and Tyler, who was one of the better equipped members of the team, burst in ahead of him. Miles followed hot on his heels as the next few minutes passed in a rush of chaos and shouting. A few members of the staff screamed, startled by a fully armed team of police suddenly crashing into the premises. They all gave up easily as Miles' team barked at them to drop what they were doing, hands above their heads. Miles directing some of his team to gather the staff down one end of the bar, others dutifully searching the bathrooms and the store room. Miles looked up as Tyler approached him, his helmet off as he believed it was safe.

"This floor is secure, sir. But there's still the basement and the rooms upstairs..." He informed the detective in his deep voice and Miles nodded. He brought his radio up to his mouth.

"Team two, is the back dock secure?"

"Yes, sir. Starting the checks of all the boxes now." came the slightly crackling reply.

"Roger. Ground floor is clear, we're extending the search now." Miles radioed back before looking up at his men. He started gesturing them around. "I want you two to take the basement, make sure no one's hiding down there. You lot stay here and start asking questions of the staff, see if anyone knows anything of use and is willing to give it up. Tyler, come with me and we'll go to the VIP rooms upsta-"

They were disturbed by the sudden sound of shouting from the direction of the back dock. Miles whipped around towards the source of the noise, holding up a hand to stop anyone moving as the other members of his team instinctively made to investigate. If they all left, then something important could be missed in here, he couldn't risk that.

"Stay! Do what I told you to. I'll go." Miles ordered, hurrying towards the commotion without waiting for any affirmatives from the others, sure they would follow orders. He was just making his way out the back door that had **STAFF ONLY** written on it in big letters when he heard a gun fire. Breaking into a run, Miles leapt down the small flight of stairs leading to the back dock and around the corner, hearing another few shots fired as he went. He burst out the backdoor without thinking and was quickly shoved back by a firm hand on his chest.

"Careful!"

Miles looked into the other man's face, though it was hard to see through those goddamn SWAT style helmets. "What the hell is going on? Why are you firing?"

"It's Dragonface, sir. Him and a couple of unknowns came out of nowhere. Don't think they were expecting us to be here though. We took them by surprise, they panicked and started shooting when we told them to drop their weapons."

Dragonface? He was here? Shit. Shit! Miles wet his lips, remembering he was in charge here and asking quickly, "Anyone hurt?"

"No, sir."

"And Dragonface-?"

"He's making a run for it!" called another officer from closer to the dock's large roller door. Miles didn't hesitate. He knew he should have waited, called for some proper back up, given some concrete orders, but he couldn't let Dragonface get away. Not when he was so fucking close! He darted out from the safety of the doorway, gun still in hand, and pelted out the rollerdoor and onto the street beyond before anyone could stop him. He stopped at the side of the truck, looking around himself to figure out which way Dragonface had gone. A gunshot sounded, followed by the bullet thunking into the front of the truck, and Miles was running in the direction it came from, dimly aware that he'd been joined by at least two of his team. He could see three retreating backs running down the back alleys away from the club and knew one of them had to be Dragonface. Miles pelted after them, his footsteps thundering against the ground, his eyes fixed on his three suspects, only to have them suddenly split off. Miles knew he only had a matter of seconds to decide just who he should follow, sizing the three up, only to catch a brief glimpse of what had to be the Dragonface mask as his main target ran around a corner ahead. He was running alone. Miles could get him easily if he could catch up.

Miles let the other two suspects go with nothing more than a hoarse shout for the two men behind him to get them, racing around the corner after his now single quarry. This was so stupid. He was so stupid. All this for the hopes of catching one guy? But he could see his retreating back up ahead, his hoodie flapping in the wind, his mussed blonde hair... He could catch him. He could. Miles put on a burst of speed, holding his gun out though there was no way in hell he'd hit anything while running, shouting in his loudest, most authoritative voice,

"Stop! Police! Drop your weapon and stop!"

The man running ignored him, not that he was surprised. He could hear someone calling him over his radio but he couldn't risk the distraction or spare the breath to reply. Miles was gasping in breath, perhaps a little less fit than he'd care to admit, though he was close enough that he could hear Dragonface also wheezing as he ran. They finally darted out from the backstreets onto the public road, and Miles felt a sudden surge of panic, thinking that he might lose the other man on the street, lose his chance. Miles pushed himself to go that little bit faster, shouting out again,

"Stop! Police!"

People turned towards the sound, but scattered as Dragonface ran past them, gun still clear in his hand. Miles cursed, but he could still see him. This time of the day, this part of town wasn't too crowded, as he'd noted when they'd been preparing to enter the club. As long as Dragonface didn't try to take a hostage or anything... Shit. Miles didn't want to think of that. He just had to catch Dragonface. He had to do it-

Dragonface veered off the street again into another alleyway and Miles felt his stomach leap. That way was a dead end! It was a cul-de-sac, really only for delivery trucks to drop to the stores along this row. Miles had him cornered! Miles slowed as he reached the entrance to the cul-de-sac, putting both hands on his gun and making his way down the alley at a slower, more cautious pace. It was a straight stretch of road before it rounded the corner, and that was the dead end. He couldn't see any sign of the man he was after on the straight, but he was careful to check every doorway along the stretch as he went, not wanting any surprises. Not when he was so close... He reached the corner and hesitated, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He was at a disadvantage here, because Dragonface probably realised he was cornered by now, and could be prepared to shoot his way out. Not to mention that Miles had never been in this situation before, never blindly run after a suspect...

"Shit." Miles breathed, suddenly wishing he'd brought some more back-up, hadn't sent the two behind him after the other two suspects. He was so stupid. He pulled his radio up to his mouth. "This is Detective Miles Luna, back-up required at..." He squinted back towards the street, relaying the address as best he could. "I have a suspect cornered... I'm going in."

How cliche, Luna. He'd take the flack from that line later, right now he had to focus on what he was about to do. Dragonface hadn't come back out, obviously, so that suggested that he was in there, maybe hoping to wait Miles out, or else to catch him by surprise. Another deep breath, and Miles figured the best way to face this was head on. He was flying blind, there was nothing he could do about that, and the longer he waited, the more jumpy both he and Dragonface could get. He just had to do what he was going to and hope his recklessness threw Dragonface enough for him to come off the better. He all but flung himself around the corner, gun held out before him, mouth opened to shout something like _drop your weapon_ , only to hesitate when he saw Dragonface. He was not standing there ready to shoot Miles, as the Detective had expected, but was instead rattling at one of the only doors in the area like he hoped to escape through it.

"No, no. C'mon, shit."

Miles remembered himself when the man partially turned and Miles saw the glint of the gun still clutched tight in his hand..He tightened his grip on his own and barked out, "Drop your weapon!"

The other man jumped, obviously startled, whipping around to face Miles, his expression unreadable behind his mask. Miles was relieved that Dragonface made no move to raise his gun, keeping his own gun trained on the central mass of the man before him. He was shorter than Miles expected, chubby too in person. Miles looked up to meet brown eyes that were wide behind the mask and, after a stretching moment of inaction for them both, shouted out again,

"Drop the gun!" Miles received no response, Dragonface just staring at him, like he'd seen a ghost, standing stock still. It was a little unnerving, Miles had been expecting a fight, something. Hell, anything more than this silent staring. It was becoming increasingly unsettling. Miles grit his teeth, the hell was going on here? Maybe he just needed an ultimatum? "Drop it, or I'll shoot!"

"Shit, wait!" Dragonface's voice was muffled by his mask, but Miles could hear the panic there. Dragonface threw his gun to the side with little preamble and scrambled to pull off his mask. He leant forward, struggling to remove it, his hood falling over his face, shielding him from Miles' view. Miles didn't take his gun off the other man, watching him with a concerned frown, not entirely sure why he was so frightened. Was this really the Dragonface that Miles had been hunting, the thorn in his side and the instigator of so many heists? Miles couldn't believe it. The blond straightened, the hood falling back from his face as he did so, and Miles froze. "Miles."

"Oh, god. Kerry..." Miles could feel himself crumbling. He suddenly felt so stupid for falling so fucking hard for this... This beautiful young man, who was frowning back at him like he couldn't believe his eyes any more than Miles could. Looking into that sweet face it was hard to think that it belonged to the hardened criminal Miles had been hunting for months with no trace, the criminal he had been practically pulling his hair out over. His Kerry was the robber he'd been chasing, he was- "You're Dragonface..."

Kerry pinked guiltily, his eyebrows tenting, his mouth opening and closing a few times as he struggled to find the words he needed, like he could talk his way out of this, but before he could reply, they were interrupted by a low voice from the alleyway Miles had just entered from.

"And you're Detective Miles Luna."

Miles turned to see none other than Michael Burnie Burns standing there. He was a reasonably tall man, his beard more neatly kept than Miles' own, and his eyes stern behind the glasses perched high on his nose. He was as finely dressed as Miles had ever seen him in photos from the many court appearances where Burns had managed to talk or bribe his way out of trouble, and the sharpness of his dress in this grimy alley just made him seem all the more imposing. He looked every bit like the mob boss he had built himself up to be. He had his arms folded over his chest and was looking at Miles darkly, Miles lowering his gun slightly in sheer surprise that Burns had showed up here, of all places. Miles' brain was flooded with questions. How did he know who Miles was? More than that, how did he know that Miles had cornered Kerry this far from the club? Had he been watching them? Had this all been some sort of trap? It certainly would explain his apparent carelessness in letting them find out their smuggling method. Shit, and they had fallen so hard for it, he was suddenly willing to bet they wouldn't find anything on the truck or in those boxes.

Kerry disrupted their staring match when he drew both their attentions with a soft noise of disbelief. "Detective?"

"That's right, Kerry, he's not just some beat cop. In fact, not only is he a cop, but Miles is the top cop assigned to the Dragonface case." Burns paused like he needed to think for a moment, like he hadn't just hit the nail dead on the head, finally ending in a seemingly modest, "If I'm not mistaken."

Miles looked back to Burnie, still not bothering to raise his gun again while things remained civil, but making sure he straightened up, refusing to be intimidated by the mob boss. He knew Burnie was a huge deal, that it didn't get much higher up than him, he controlled Geoff Ramsey of the Fake AH crew, for fuck's sake, but Miles wasn't frightened. He was still armed and Burns didn't appear to be. Though appearances could be deceiving, another reason for keeping his gun down, the knowledge he had his gun was enough to let Miles feel like he still had at least one thing in his favour. He nodded at last to Burnie's pointed stare, knowing there was no point in lying, that would only make things worse. He didn't want that, he was already pretty sure he was fucked one way or another, but if he could come out of this alive, that'd be just peachy.

"That's right."

"You said you were a paramedic..." Kerry whispered behind him, and he sounded about as hurt as Miles felt to know Kerry was Dragonface. They'd both been lied to here, and it had worked out so much worse than Miles could have ever imagined, even in his imagining a worst case scenario as he often did. He was a cop, and Kerry was a criminal. It was beyond fucked. Miles glanced at the little blond, unable to stop himself from doing so, seeing Kerry's face scrunched with upset, and he couldn't keep his voice steady as he replied without really thinking,

"You said you worked in security."

Kerry seemed surprised by that, straightening briefly at the unexpected retort. Just as quickly, his surprise faded until he looked contrite, curling into himself and refusing to look at either of the two men now, his fingers anxiously playing with the sleeves of his well worn hoodie. Miles returned his attention to Burnie, who was looking at him with a gaze that held more than just contempt for Miles' position. That threw Miles more than he cared to admit, more than if Burns had simply been glaring, and he was suddenly wondering if Burnie's personal appearance here wasn't just to do with Miles or the police, that Kerry being here as well wasn't as much of a coincidence as Miles wanted to believe. If it was just something he was doing to fuck with the cops he could have sent anyone else from his crew to do it, or he would have brought back up. This was all starting to feel very uncomfortably personal, especially with him knowing Miles' name and his connection to Kerry's case.They stared at each other in silent contempt for a long moment before Burnie seemed to relax, his arms unfolding, gesturing loosely at Kerry.

"So, you've found the illusive Dragonface. The man you've been hunting since his little gang first orchestrated a near perfect heist on one of the city's biggest jewellery stores..." Burnie paused, his expression gentling for a brief moment as he looked over at Kerry before he was glaring back at Miles and demanding, "What are you going to do about it?"

"W-what?" Miles stuttered, confused. What the hell did he mean by that? It wasn't like Miles could do anything now, if only for the reason he was outnumbered. He heard Kerry take a shaky breath behind him and knew that he was lying to himself, it wasn't anything to do with his being out numbered. He just couldn't... Shit.

"Well, are you going to arrest him?" Burnie further prompted when Miles just stared at him dumbly, and Kerry whimpered in pained surprise. He looked at the older man with wide, hurt eyes, like he couldn't believe Burnie's words any more than Miles could. Why was Burnie so insistent Miles arrest one of his best men? What the hell was going on here?

"Burnie..."

Miles swallowed hard, shaking his head, a frown crinkling his features as he met Burns' gaze again. "No... No, of course not."

Burnie huffed like he wasn't fully satisfied with Miles' answer, crossing his arms over his chest again. He prompted again, more firmly this time. "I'm going to ask you again. Will you arrest him? If I was to leave, if it was just you two alone, now that you know who he is... Will you do your job, Detective?"

Miles hesitated, gun still held useless before him, not looking over at the blond man, not taking his eyes off the intimidating man before him. He... How the hell did he answer that? He didn't know the answer himself, let alone what answer Burns could possibly be looking for. Did he do his damn job, do what he'd been trying to for weeks? He finally had the chance, after all, but... Could he? Could he even do it now he knew? It was Kerry... Funny, sweet, cute, little Kerry. Burns tutted, impatient.

"Your answer, Luna. And a reminder to be truthful about it, I may not appear armed, but I assure you I have you well covered, and..." His eyes cut down to Miles' radio, which Miles hadn't even notice had been silent this whole time. "Your back-up is not coming."

Finally, Miles let his eyes trail to Kerry, who was looking flushed and hurt. Kerry looked back at him with those big brown eyes, his expression open and anxious. Miles felt the tension leave him, the gun falling from his hands and clattering to the ground unheeded. He knew what his answer was, and knew what it would mean for him. He knew what Burnie was asking him for now. Miles took a slow breath, and sighed. "I couldn't. I mean, I can't do it. I... Shit, Kerry. I love you."

Kerry brought his hands up to cover his mouth, smothering the sharp noise he made at this admission. His eyes welled with tears despite himself and he looked over Miles' shoulder at Burnie. Burnie looked from one to the other, before he finally nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer. He strode forward, laying a hand on Miles' shoulder, Miles unable to stop from flinching at the touch. Burnie ignored it, squeezing his grip as he stated in a suddenly amicable tone, though there was still a slight edge to it that made the hair on the back of Miles' neck stand on end,

"Welcome to the family, Miles. I expect you to take good care of our Kerry."

Miles swallowed again, trying to quell his nerves at the realisation that he was now, for all intents and purposes, a crooked cop under Burnie Burns' thumb. All because he fell in love. He looked back at Kerry, seeing the younger man smiling at last, that wide smile that made Miles' stomach flutter, he looked so happy. Finally Miles agreed, though he didn't make eye contact with the mobster, "Yes, sir."

"Good. We'll be in touch to further discuss just how this is going to work for you, but now that I know you are right for Kerry, you have nothing to fear from me or my men. I hope that you will make sure that the feeling is mutual where you can." Burnie said, and there was a definite air that said he better do as he was told. Miles nodded dumbly, watching from the corner of his eye as Burnie moved passed him to Kerry instead. He smiled down at the blond, brushing a hand over his mussed hair like a fond parent. Burnie glanced back at Miles. "We should go before your team catches up with you. You can have whatever you find at the club, though I tell you there won't be much, but I am afraid you won't be capturing Dragonface today."

"No." Miles agreed, still feeling more than a little dazed, because this didn't happen to normal people. This was shit that happened in movies. This was some star crossed lovers meets crooked cop movie bullshit. Burnie moved, ushering Kerry away into one of the other side doors, opening it easily and pushing Kerry through, the younger man going without protest. Miles stood still in the alley for a moment, feeling like he'd just passed some sort of crucial test, even if it was only by the skin of his teeth, before realising he should perhaps go, try calling for his team on his radio again, he'd have to let them know he'd lost Dragonface sooner or later. He was just turning away when he heard the door open again, Miles instinctively twisting to see Burnie standing there.

"We have stopped blocking your radio, just so you know. But I realise you are probably going to require an excuse as to why Dragonface escaped from what could have been such a perfect bust." He explained, very much business like, and Miles got a sudden feeling of dread, feeling it prickle hot up his spine. Burnie smiled, and it was clearly meant to be a kind smile, but there was something more to it that did nothing to ease Miles' sudden discomfort. He bowed his head, moving to return inside even as he muttered, "I am sorry, Miles."

Miles was just opening his mouth to ask why he was sorry when a crack sounded from one of the roofs nearby, and Miles felt a pain sear through his arm. Miles cried out, the shock knocking him to the ground, his hand flying up to instinctively clutch his arm, coming away wet with hot blood. He'd been shot! Burnie had had him shot! Miles scrabbled for his radio. He was going to be in so much goddamn trouble for this!

"Officer down! I've been shot in persuit of a suspect!"

"We're on our way to you right now, sir." came the crackling response and Miles moved to grab and holster his useless gun then haul himself to his feet, wincing because that fucking hurt so bad. Clutching his arm, though it did little to help, as he plodded his way back out of the cul-de-sac.

He was so fucked.

 

"Burnie! Burnie, did Gray shoot Miles?! Why would you do that? I thought he passed!!"

"For appearances. Now it looks like he didn't give you up without a fight. We blocked his radio signal, but they knew he was following you. We just wanted to give him a way to explain your escape." Burnie explained casually, not seeming at all fussed. Kerry glanced worriedly back at the door behind which was a now injured Miles. Burnie moved before he could think about going back out there, pressing a hand to the small of Kerry's back and leading the younger man out into the main street. Without his mask on, there was no telling that Kerry was Dragonface, and Burnie was too well dressed to be bothered by anyone here for anything other than spare change. He pat Kerry's back soothingly as the young man continued to worry. "He will be fine, and he'll forgive you for this, I'm sure of it. You should be happy, Kerry. You're very right, he passed the test."

Kerry huffed softly, not bothering to reply. This was not how he'd been expecting today to go. He had been texting Miles this morning only to get a call from Burnie asking him to come into the club, that something was up. It had all been a set up for Miles? That was... Kerry couldn't even think about it right now. To have his identity exposed, to find out Miles was a cop, but... That Miles loved him? He just had to hope Miles didn't change his mind, seeing as he'd been shot...

 

A brief, embarrassed explanation of Dragonface's escape preceded his trip to the hospital and he had stitches in his arm from the sniper's bullet. It still hurt like a motherfucker. He still couldn't believe he'd been fucking shot. By a sniper of all things! He'd never been fucking shot, either. Once they had stitched it, but before they had wrapped it, he'd kept staring at the wound and wondering it if was going to scar. He'd barely heard what the nurse told him about looking after it, his head was buzzing. He couldn't stop thinking about Kerry, his Kerry... And how he'd just... He couldn't. And now he'd been shot instead, and Burnie fucking Burns had pat him on the shoulder and told him he'd be in touch.

Miles was right, he was fucked.

He looked up when he heard someone walk into the little space where he was waiting to be signed out, only to find Kyle standing there. He was still wearing his bullet proof vest, he must have come straight from his own bust. Miles just hoped his had been more fruitful. He'd been talking to Tyler, Burns was right, they didn't get much at all. Miles straightened where he sat and attempted a smile at his friend, only to have Kyle make a noise in disbelief back.

"You're gonna get your ass kicked when we get back to the office. What were you even doing, running off and getting shot?"

"I... It was Dragonface. I was... I was so close." Miles replied, sheepish and saddened, and Kyle just shook his head. He didn't look angry though, he looked concerned and for Miles that felt worse. He didn't think he'd ever seen Kyle look concerned, not ever. Miles got up slowly, moving to grab up his shirt to dress and Kyle looked him over, his gaze noticeably lingering on Miles' bandaged arm.

"Are you good to go? Joel wants to see you, debrief and all that."

"I'll just find a nurse and get signed out." Miles agreed softly, realising yet again he was fucked in more ways than one. He had to survive Captain Joel on top of a mob boss and his very cute blond... Boyfriend? Miles didn't want to think about just what to label them right now. One thing at a time, first he needed to find a nurse.

 

"You ran after an armed criminal by yourself!"

Miles could feel him shrinking into himself, his voice quiet, trying to seem apologetic. He was apologetic, but not for the reasons he thought he should be. "I thought I could take him, sir. I didn't want him to get away."

"Some good that did you! You got yourself shot, one of my best Detectives out of action, and Dragonface got away again!"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir."

"Yeah, sorry. Get out of my office, Luna. You have your reassignment, but we can discuss that when the doctor decides you're fit for work."

Well, at least Miles still had his job? Albeit he wouldn't be leaving his desk any time in the near future, and not just because he was injured. The Captain had definitely torn him a new one, and Miles had taken every bit, because he fucking deserved it. He was a fucking idiot. What was worse for him was the fact he'd had to lie through his teeth nearly the whole damn time, of course, but... He'd done it. Miles had survived it. He just had to be aware of the fact he had to protect Kerry and now, he supposed, his own fucking ass.

Miles hated lying, but... Getting yelled at still seemed better than getting Kerry arrested. He wasn't sure why. He wasn't sure what he'd even do if he saw Kerry again right now. He... He still got excited at the thought of him, fluttering stomach, heart beating faster. He kept checking his phone on his way home to start on his leave, though whether it was truly for his arm or to make sure Joel didn't just throttle him he wasn't entirely sure. He wasn't sure why he was expecting Kerry to text him, either. He realised that Kerry was just as shocked to find out that he was a cop as Miles was to find out he was Dragonface.

God, how was this ever going to work?

Because... Fuck, Miles did want it to work.

 

He trudged his way up the stairs to his apartment, taking his phone out without thinking and glancing at the screen again. Nothing, why was he doing this to himself? With a sigh, he stuffed his phone back in his pocket as he reached his floor only to falter at the sight of someone standing outside his door. Well, they were leaning against the wall, actually, looking at their phone like Miles had just been. Even from where he stood, Miles knew who it was, their short stature, sweet chubby frame and mop of blond hair gave the game away. Miles couldn't believe it was him.

"Kerry?"

The other man straightened up suddenly, his head shooting up and a smile splitting his face. He looked relieved, really. "Miles!"

Miles approached with a caution he couldn't explain considering all he wanted was a kiss right now, to know things were okay between them, and it must have been obvious because Kerry's smile fell a little. His posture became awkward, his hands slipping into his pockets and his shoulders hunching. He looked up at Miles as he reached him and worried nervously at his lip.

"I don't blame you for not being happy to see me."

"How did you even find where I live?" Miles wondered, stopping just short of the man he both wanted to see so bad it hurt and felt like he needed a break from. Way to start off complicated, why was nothing just easy. Kerry blushed, looking guilty, though he admitted,

"B-burnie."

"Great." Miles sighed, because he should have known, digging out his keys and moving to open the door. Kerry sighed, looking like he fully expected to be left in the hallway, but Miles paused, holding the door open and looking at him pointedly. Kerry hesitated and Miles finally let himself smile, because Kerry just bought that out in him. "You coming in?"

"I... Yes." Kerry nodded, but instead of walking straight into the flat, he stopped in front of Miles. He gave a shy little smile that just made Miles melt, and stood up on his tip toes so he could ever so lightly kiss Miles on the mouth. Kerry stepped back again, looking up at Miles to gauge his reaction, looking very much like he was scared Miles was going to reject him. Instead, Miles moved, letting the door slam closed behind them as he wrapped his good arm around Kerry, pulling him close for a proper kiss.

As they parted, both a little breathless, both smiling in that stupid, smitten way Miles hadn't been able to avoid since they first met, Miles knew that star-crossed lovers, or whatever they were, Miles was here for it.

**Author's Note:**

> I am still happily taking prompts over at [my tumblr](http://purelycoincidentalcats.tumblr.com/), though I have a couple on the go right now, so it may take me a little while to get to it...


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